We got away from Koreshan State Park plenty early today, so we stopped at a McDonald's to use the Wi-Fi. As usual, we ended up eating lunch there before heading north on I-75 toward Lake Manatee State Park.
We arrived at Lake Manatee around 2:00 to find our friend Dennis Archer in the site next to ours. No, it wasn't a coincidence. We planned to meet here. Dennis' wife, Susie, will be flying in later in the week to keep him company during the remainder of his Florida camping tour.
In case you don't "get" the caption on the picture of the dove, we witnessed the pair "mating for life," but by the time I got the camera out he had flown the coop!
Wayne and Carolyn Wells showed up at 3:30, also a planned meeting. Each couple ate dinner at their campsite, then we all gathered at our site for a bit of socializing before turning in at about 10:00.
Tomorrow we're going to do some exploring, including a trip to WalMart for some supplies.
We got up this morning and went to the Coffee Hour where we met several of the other campers. After visiting for a while, we went on a guided tour of the Koreshan Settlement. By the way, this settlement, founded by Dr. Teed, was in no way related to the infamous David Koresh of Waco, TX, although the biblical name "Koresh" was common to both men.
After the tour, we stopped by a seminar on the History of Cutting Tools. We got hungry, so we skipped out on the seminar and went back to the camper for lunch.
After lunch, we drove to "the beaches" and walked in the surf for a while. When we got back in the car, we headed north from Bonita Springs up through Fort Myers Beach. What a zoo! I was glad to get back to camp and relax!
Tomorrow, it's about a 110 mile trip to Lake Manatee State Park. See you there!
This morning, we went to McDonald's to use their Wi-Fi so I could post the last 9 days worth of stuff. By the time I got done, it was lunch time, so we ate there. First time I've eaten at Mickey D's in years!
We left Mickey D's and went shopping in a HUGE shopping complex. Marsha was looking for a particular style of Crocs sandals. We shopped at Dick's Sporting Goods, Finish Line, Bass Pro Shop, J.C. Penny. You know - all those exotic stores we don't have back home!
Marsha finally found her sandals. She also bought a purse somewhere along the way. I was looking for a particular brand of size 36 jeans. They didn't have any 36's, but, luckily, I found a pair that was mismarked as a size 38. They fit perfectly!
No pictures other than the two posted below. Not a very exciting day. We'll try harder tomorrow.
A New York-born doctor named Cyrus Teed started a new religion in 1869. Teed took the biblical name "Koresh" and, in 1894, moved his following to Estero, FL where he planned to build his "New Jerusalem." It would be a great city where people would come to practice his religion of Koreshanity.
Long story short, even though he believed he was immortal, Teed died in 1908. The last 4 remaining members of his religion deeded 305 acres of their land to the state of Florida in Teed's memory. So the settlement and the park are here today to be explored by people like Marsha and me.
They give tours, demonstrations, etc. See the pictures for some of the stuff we did.
